Today we’re digging into one of the biggest (underestimated) parts of the holiday mental load: Gift logistics and all the special extras that come with December.

Because gifts aren’t just gifts.
They’re:• Lists• Budgets• Shipping timelines• Teacher gifts• Stockings• Matching pajamas• “Who already bought what?”• “What’s developmentally appropriate?”• “Did we go overboard or not enough?”

And most of that invisible planning ends up sitting in one partner’s brain until it leads to resentment and overwhelm.

In this episode, we cover:
• Why gift logistics hit new parents so hard• The emotional labor behind “making it special”• How to prevent the default-parent dynamic with gifts• The 3 Gift Lanes Method (Mandatory, Optional, Special Extras)• How to divide holiday gifting in a way that feels fair• How to avoid overspending, duplication, and burnout• The difference between meaningful traditions and pressure-based traditions

This episode takes the weight off the “Chief Gift Officer” role many parents fall into — and helps couples build a gift plan that feels clearer, calmer, and actually joyful.

👉 Download the free Holiday Mental Load Breakthrough guide
It includes the full gift logistics category list, lane assignments, planning prompts, and a place to organize the entire holiday load together:
https://www.postpartumtogether.com/mental-load-braindump-holiday

Gifts don’t have to drain you. When you share the load, they get a whole lot lighter.